As part of an upcoming TV show, a Washington, DC, sidewalk segregates those who walk and text from the more aware

We’ve all run into them on crowded city sidewalks, often literally. Those oblivious individuals who stride down our shared urban walkways while talking or texting, often bumping into strangers, tripping over small children, or havingÂ close encounters with local wildlife. What if we could relegate obsessive multitaskers to their own lane, freeing up half the concrete for fully alert pedestrians?

That’s the premise of an upcoming National Geographic Channel show that created a “No Cell Phones” lane on a Washington, DC, sidewalk as part of a social experiment.

Judging by early reports and reactions on Twitter, cell-based segregation seems to be a failure, at least early on.